Architectural Engineering Commons^™

Model For Analyzing Floorplate Morphology That Optimizes Daylighting And Cost, Andrew G. Welch, Ermal Shpuza Phd

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

One key method to improve the energy efficiency of a building is to enhance daylight levels, which reduces the need for artificial lighting. Elevated daylight levels are also associated with increased productivity and well-being of building occupants. Daylight levels are inversely proportional to the building compactness, where shallow floorplates and elongated buildings are associated with higher daylight levels. However, creating buildings that have more natural light comes with a greater construction cost due to larger envelope areas as well as greater operating costs due to the energy loss through the exterior envelope area. This research identifies the basic design strategies …

Performative Biomechanics : Evolving Buildings Into Inhabitable Organisms, Josh Lopez

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

There has always been a connection between biology and architecture. Michael Pawlyn, in Biomimicry in Architecture, coined “biomechanical designs” to describe structural techniques derived from creatures. This study investigates chitin-based creatures. Crustaceans, insects, and microscopic organisms all have exoskeletons in nature. With a focus on crabs, other crustaceans and bugs, this study examines and evaluates the formal characteristics of chitin-based organisms. The architectural creations of OXMAN, NOX, which was founded by Lars Spuybroek; and Lebbeus Woods are among those that are analyzed and studied due to their inspiration from living things. They follow functional effectiveness in nature, which is why …

Building Resilience: Strategies For Sustainable Wildfire Management In California, Jaiden Rennie, Pegah Zamani

Symposium of Student Scholars

Wildfires in California are becoming more intense and destructive, threatening communities, ecosystems, and livelihoods. This project explores how resilience and sustainability can work together to reduce wildfire risks and long-term damage. By reviewing research, case studies, and expert insights, it examines what’s driving these fires, climate change, poor land management, and human activity, and looks at solutions that can make a real difference. From community education programs to AI-driven fire detection and smarter policies, the findings highlight practical ways to better prepare for and manage wildfires. The goal is to contribute to a future where communities and the environment are …

Reviving Humanity, Ana Gomez

Symposium of Student Scholars

The surge in female incarceration rates in the United States has heightened concerns about the mental health challenges faced by women within correctional facilities. This thesis research explores the intersection of women's incarceration, mental health, and sustainable architectural design aimed at improving outcomes for female inmates. Factors contributing to the increase in female incarceration rates, including changes in sentencing policies, socioeconomic disparities, and the criminalization of mental illness and substance abuse, are critically examined. Research indicates a disproportionately high prevalence of mental health disorders among female inmates, often rooted in past trauma, domestic violence, and systemic inequalities. These issues are …

Daylighting In Buildings: Investigating The Relationship Between Daylight Levels And Building Compactness In Various Contemporary Architectural Types. [Efficient Typology Classification], Andrew Welch, Ermal Shpuza Phd

Symposium of Student Scholars

One of the key ways of improving the energy efficiency of a building is to enhance the daylight levels and reduce the need for artificial lighting. Good daylight levels are also associated with increased productivity and the well-being of a building's occupants. Daylight levels are often a direct function of the floorplate depth, where locations near the windows receive more daylight, and those deep inside the buildings receive less. As a result, shallow floorplates and elongated buildings are usually related to higher daylight levels. However, shallow buildings that have more natural light are also associated with greater construction costs due …

Urban Mixed Income, Mixed Use Transit Orientated Design A Precast Prefabricated Modular Design Solution To Atlanta's Housing Affordability Crisis, Taharka Askia Muhammad

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis will focus on urban housing affordability with an emphasis on quality mixed income, mixed use, transit orientated housing development (TOD). The primary goal is to provide an adequate number of affordable housing units to allow diversity and inclusion for residents of lower income in nearby communities or otherwise provide greater housing affordability overall. This research aims to propose new construction and creative innovations with precast, prefabricated modular architecture which will take advantage of cost offset strategies, lower cost of construction, efficiency, and speed of construction. The design phase of this thesis will develop a design proposal for the …

Safe Passage, Tenzin Senge

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

After the Cultural Revolution of 1959 in China which led to the occupation of Tibet, the people of Tibet suffered the loss of homes and were stripped away from their socio-cultural ethos. As displaced Tibetans, the next generations will grow up without a nation, their self-identity and live with uncertain future. To this day, thousands of Tibetans are fleeing into neighboring countries every year by crossing the treacherous (cold freezing) Himalayas mountains with great hardship, even the most experience hikers find this task challenging. Issues arise for these refugees trying to escape, and questions tend to pile up about the …

The Art Of Experience: Changing Architectural Designs Through The Perception Of Light, Brett Hembree

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

We are constantly surrounded by and inhabiting the built environment. Architecture can affect someone’s mood in the most subtle of ways. The spaces we inhabit have an impact whether you are aware of it or not. Peter Zumthor said, "Architecture is a service, a process, a way of building and leaving the world a little better for our presence." The question becomes, "How can we use lighting in architectural designs to create impactful experiences for those in the space?" My thesis explores how we design spaces and what strategies can be implemented to influence the viewers’ perception. We are shaped …

The Dwelling And The Shed: Redefining The Homestead, Ryan Mattox

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The homestead is the frontier of exploration. It is the place that shows people can take care of themselves through self-sufficient means. This place also looks at making a more sustainable population. That is partly due to the individual needing to take care of the environment around themselves so that the environment can provide for them.

My thesis project will look to create a technological and sustainable residential module that can be replicated and modified to create community based on self-sufficiency by means of sustainability. To achieve this goal, my thesis will look at combining the architectural elements of the …

History And Technique In Reinforce Concrete Formworks: A Study Of Pier Luigi Nervi Approach, Moritz Meditz

Symposium of Student Scholars

The last hundred years in architecture and civil engineering have been widely dominated by the use of concrete, which became the second most consumed commodity after water. The traditional use of rigid, flat formwork panels has defined reinforced concrete members as a uniform cross-section, prismatic structural elements in both design codes and construction methods. These resultant shapes have become practically an inevitable conclusion for concrete constructions. This presentation focuses on alternative formwork construction looking at the work of engineer, architect and builder, Pier Luigi Nervi (1891–1979). Nervi was an adjunct professor at the University of Rome and a prolific writer, …

Exploring The Use Of Re-Forming Concrete, Moritz Meditz

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis takes a closer look at concrete construction in the modern area and, more specifically, the use of formwork to shape the built environment.

Traditional rigid concrete formwork has been optimized for buildability while serving structural needs. This mentality means simple prismatic elements that are entirely overbuilt for the task, stacked on top or next to one another. The idea that these elements are the peak of efficiency in concrete production has informed virtually all modern concrete construction. Any shapes that vary from the simple prismatic volumes are seen as challenging to build and expensive. For the most part, …

Sustainable Building Materials Of The Future: Architectural Forms And Structural Design, Sean Sadler, Moritz Meditz

Symposium of Student Scholars

This research investigates the use of non-rigid formwork and the techniques aiming to create more efficient concrete forms. During casting, concrete takes the shape of its formwork; traditionally, these formworks are made of rigid materials like steel or wood. The results are prismatic members, which are not optimized for material usage but only for simplicity in construction. Most of the research in the area focuses on improving the constituent materials, while the formworks have remained unchanged throughout the years. By using the approach described in this study, optimized shapes are achieved. These geometries can save up to 30% of the …

Technological Augmentation: Creating A Public Center For Making, Timothy Hardeman

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

We live in an era where technology is driving forward at an unprecedented pace. We have access to tools, materials, and processes which weren’t even conceptualized 50 years ago. 3D printing, CNCs, and Laser Cutters allow us to create incredible designs, and at affordable prices. We have carbon fiber, advanced composites, and modern alloys.

But where do we experience these things? In a classroom? Through screens as we read about these intangible leaps in technology? Why don’t we have a place where we get to experience these things first-hand, and experiment with our own ideas about how they could be …

Resurrecting A Fallen Angel: Architecture Remediating Pollution In Mexico City, Karen Rios

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Mexico City's population of over twenty-one million inhabitants makes it the second largest city in the world. Consequently, air pollution levels in the capital are outrageous.

The following proposal is not an attempt at fixing the city's pollution issues but, rather, presenting an innovative solution to be adopted throughout the city. The thesis aims at solving the contamination crisis' physical and psychological aspects.

That is, a combination of architectural intervention and community involvement will help slow down the rising pollution levels in a once beautiful city. Perhaps starting at a micro scale and spreading throughout the city.

Transfused Architecture: Ascent Of A Developing World, Sandy Ferrier

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Because there is a lack of adequate health care facilities in developing countries, there is a substantial amount of unrealized, optimal health gains and effective, architectural interventions which are not fully realized. With 80% of its population living below the world poverty line, Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere. The United Nations Development Program’s 2014 report shows the extents of poverty at 75% mainly in the rural areas of Haiti. Only 25% of households benefit from adequate sanitation, thus people become more susceptible to infections and diseases. Reoccurring natural catastrophes have also dented the country's …

Offshore R+D Facility, Philip A. Marble

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Design a Research + Development facility that merges with a functional Oil Rig. This center will house both a Marine Research Center and Oil rig Research + Development center. Both of these facilities will be in a separate structure than the Oil Rig but will have a connection back to the Living Quarter.

Construction Management Internship And Co-Op Programs Stakeholder Needs Assessment.Pdf, Khalid Siddiqi

Faculty Articles

This study analyzes various types of internships and co-op programs offered by universities which are accredited by the American Council of Construction Education ACCE. Practical training requirements for Bachelor of Science BS Construction students and construction companies needs are also assessed. Responses to a questionnaire survey which was administered to program directors of ACCE accredited programs construction firms and construction students provide information about existing types of internship and co-op programs. Student perspective and preferences sought through an internship or co-op position in the Construction Industry were also identified in the study. Construction companies seeking new graduates for employment consider …